WASHINGTON
TIME Magazine nominated Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for its ‘100 Most Influential People’ List for 2014.
TIME’s editors said they want their readers to have a say in choosing the TIME 100, the annual list of the most influential people in the world placed in different categories.
The magazine named President Gul and PremierErdogan in the 'world' category among the people that voters think have changed the world this past year, for better or worse.
"Widely seen as the alternative to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey’s ruling party, Gul has walked a fine line between party loyalty and counterbalancing Erdogan’s authoritarian streak," said the magazine regarding Gul.
The magazine's comment for Premier Erdogan is "Turkey’s authoritarian Prime Minister overcame antigovernment protests and a corruption scandal to score a huge win in local elections."
The 'world' category include names like Pope Francis, Bill Gates, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, and Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai who survived a 2012 assassination attempt by the Taliban because of her fight for girls’ education.
Voting will be open until April 22, and 2014's official TIME 100 list will be announced on April 24.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
